Citizens bond committee favors Southside, Westside centers

CIP report recommends redirecting $2 million from Chance remodeling and proposed parking garage at this college.

By Zachary-Taylor Wright

zwright9@student.alamo.edu

The Capital Improvement Program Citizen Committee in a closed meeting Nov. 29 suggested changes to projects the board proposed in June including a focus on inner-city facilities rather than new construction of the Interstate 10 West regional center.

The Alamo Colleges board of trustees will discuss recommendations from the citizens committee at 6 p.m. Dec. 13 in Room 101 of Killen Center at 201 W. Sheridan.

According to the project review report posted on the district website, the citizens’ committee suggested pulling funds from several of the board’s recommended projects to increase funding for the Westside Education and Training Center, Southside regional centers, St. Philip’s College and a technology center at Northeast Lakeview College.

The committee suggested the board allocate an increase of $12 million to the Westside facility, $12 million to Southside regional centers, $20 million to establish a technology center at Northeast Lakeview and $4.5 million to replace the Bowden Building and campus center at St. Philip’s.

The board of trustees had proposed spending $25 million to construct a science, technology, engineering and math building at Northeast Lakeview, but the committee advocated for a technology center instead.

The board of trustees proposed a $5.5 million renovation to SPC’s Bowden building, but the committee is recommending new construction for $10 million.

In the Nov. 22 citizens committee meeting, District 3 representative Luis R. Vera Jr. lobbied for an increase in funding to the Westside facility and Southside regional centers.

The committee recommended using funds allocated for several of the colleges’ physical plant improvements.

The committee suggested the board redirect $3 million from Northwest Vista College’s physical plant improvements, $3.5 million from this college’s physical plant improvements, $2 million from Palo Alto College’s physical plant improvements and $2 million from NLC’s physical plant improvements to fund the projects they favored.

The committee also recommended the board of trustees reallocate the $10 million from NVC’s science, technology, engineering and math building and $5 million from its science building construction to support these endeavors.

The committee recommended the board redirect $1 million from the renovation of this college’s Chance Academic Center and $1 million from the parking garage and child care center.

The committee proposed a decrease of $5 million from Northeast Lakeview’s science building and $2 million from the Palo Alto student engagement and welcome center.

The committee also recommended the expansion of information technology across the district be implemented earlier, as the board of trustees proposed beginning expansion in 2019 and the committee suggested the first phase begin in 2017.

The board advocated for the implementation of the IT expansion over two phases with $9 million in funds in 2019 and $16 million in 2021 reserved; however, the committee is lobbying for three phases of implementation with $7 million in funds in 2017, $3 million in funds in 2019 and $15 million in funds in 2021.

The project review report is available at https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicItemDownload.aspx?ik=39773412.